Fender Squier OR Yamaha Pacifica For 12-year old?

skaterboy

Fender Squier OR Yamaha Pacifica For 12-year old beginner ?

ball

Yamaha

skaterboy

ball wrote: »

Yamaha

Better Quality or cheaper?

domrush

yamaha has better pick ups as far i know

Bagmagnet

Yamaha Pacifica 112..

I bought one of these a good few years ago and it's still going.

I also bought a fender squire and the jack fell out within a week. No problems with the yamaha. The action is good and the pickups are good quality. seems to be a lot of noise from the bridge pickups on the fender.

Overall, I would suggest that you get a yamaha (preferably a pacifica 112).

Better quality and value for money

ball

skaterboy wrote: »

Better Quality or cheaper?

I think both

domrush

however unless it is a surprise you should really take the kid to a shop to let him pick a guitar he likes the feel, sound and look of

FV-Emperor

I'm currently looking to buy my first guitar and after an age of trawling and research(not to mention the advice I got on this forum) and I think I can help.

Where do you plan to buy from, online(cheaper)Shop(sevice).
If theres a shop you're happy with in the area go for the shop.

Squier Strat=cheap, but still quality
Yamaha Pacifica 112=good quality starter(some people use it long after)(big fav on these boards)
Epiphone Les paul special II (different model to the other 2, made by a subsidary of Gibson, a powerhouse of guitar design, also supposed better quality then squier and cheapest of all 3)

Plus take note of an amp, because most standard ones in packs ( I dont advise packs, guitars are noted to be of worse quality and the advantage of a shop is they can set up the guitat for your son, meaning its neck is adjusted correctly etc.) Roland amps such as the portable micro-cube are affordable at 100 euros for good quality plus the 12 year-old can make near any sound he wants.

I'd say go for the pacifica in a shop and go for a top deal with an amp, if they dont supply extras or your not happy with the shop, thank them for helping you and see what other stores are like.

Hope this chunk of stuff helps, I couldn't resist heaping a load of info in there!!

skaterboy

domrush wrote: »

however unless it is a surprise you should really take the kid to a shop to let him pick a guitar he likes the feel, sound and look of

BTW i am the 12 year old =]

Dave Total

Either or, i've heard all those horror stories about Squire, but the new Bullet Models are excellent value for money. On the other hand the Pacificas are well known for their reliability.

skaterboy

Well, I suppose I'll get the pacifica
Thanks for your help=]:D

Patricide

Yamaha Pacifica 112 + Microcube = Good tone, good playability, good price.

Plus the fact that a microcube will be your bedroon practice amp for life and the pacifica is always handy to have as a backup guitar when you move on to your next one. Also another thing the pacificas got going for it is the humucker singlcoil singlecoil picup configuration making it a MUCH more flexible guitar.

-=al=-

yamaha, its a no brainer!

Eoin Madsen

+ 1 on the Yamaha. No contest, imo.

MetalDawg

pacifica for sure!

skaterboy

Where should I buy it?
Not Online BTW
In a shop ?
which is best?

FV-Emperor

I'd advise a music shop if you have beginner experience, for a little bargaining you'll get similar value.

I'll put it this way, Visit at least 3 shops in your locality (at least), The whole Selling point the shop has off me is that you're paying for the service, eg they'll tune it for you starting off and make sure everything is adjusted properly and if you ever have a query or problem you can go in about it to them, A good owner wont mind.

I found overall, a good shop beats online any day, for a starter guitar, dont buy packs they're sub-standard with the same name more often then not, some reputable shops wont stock them.

-Heres my adviceis , Armed with the knowledge that a yamaha is 215euors
and a micro cube is 100 visit the shops. So you shoud pay in between 310 euros-350 euros
-Tell them about your sutuation (for 12-year old), First generally ask them about starter guitars they'd recommend, and even test their knowledge asking them why one guitar is better than another(this will also help you and later the 12-year old)
-Then tell them your interested in buying a yamaha pacifica with a micro cube (trust me the person your getting it for will thank you)
-Now because your buying an amp as well they'll want to seal the deal.
Usually its hard to haggle down the price, your far more likely to get essential accsesories thrown inn free which I found beats online sometimes in overall value.
-Make sure the accsesories are of good quality ( like leather straps)
-Some guitar shops will even throw free lessons to the deal.
-Thank them, and ask them if they could keep note of the deal, under a name.
-Visit all the shops and choose the shop you feel is most knowledgeable, kind and that offers the beat deal.

Follow guide price and dont stray ( though always try to get it lower)

Any other questions to ask, just shoot. I'm doing this because I would have liked to know this starting at the start. I'm going to buy my first guitar les paul special 2 because it is lauded by a friend and tonnes of reviews on the net. though boards.ie people swear by the yamaha, it was just a little too expensive at this moment for me! :P

FV-Emperor

Whoops forgot! Check golden pages for shops, sometimes the best are almost hidden...

And sorry, I just found you were the 12-year old :P

skaterboy

FV-Emperor wrote: »

I'd advise a music shop if you have beginner experience, for a little bargaining you'll get similar value.

I'll put it this way, Visit at least 3 shops in your locality (at least), The whole Selling point the shop has off me is that you're paying for the service, eg they'll tune it for you starting off and make sure everything is adjusted properly and if you ever have a query or problem you can go in about it to them, A good owner wont mind.

I found overall, a good shop beats online any day, for a starter guitar, dont buy packs they're sub-standard with the same name more often then not, some reputable shops wont stock them.

-Heres my adviceis , Armed with the knowledge that a yamaha is 215euors
and a micro cube is 100 visit the shops. So you shoud pay in between 310 euros-350 euros
-Tell them about your sutuation (for 12-year old), First generally ask them about starter guitars they'd recommend, and even test their knowledge asking them why one guitar is better than another(this will also help you and later the 12-year old)
-Then tell them your interested in buying a yamaha pacifica with a micro cube (trust me the person your getting it for will thank you)
-Now because your buying an amp as well they'll want to seal the deal.
Usually its hard to haggle down the price, your far more likely to get essential accsesories thrown inn free which I found beats online sometimes in overall value.
-Make sure the accsesories are of good quality ( like leather straps)
-Some guitar shops will even throw free lessons to the deal.
-Thank them, and ask them if they could keep note of the deal, under a name.
-Visit all the shops and choose the shop you feel is most knowledgeable, kind and that offers the beat deal.

Follow guide price and dont stray ( though always try to get it lower)

Any other questions to ask, just shoot. I'm doing this because I would have liked to know this starting at the start. I'm going to buy my first guitar les paul special 2 because it is lauded by a friend and tonnes of reviews on the net. though boards.ie people swear by the yamaha, it was just a little too expensive at this moment for me! :P

BTW what is a Micro-cube?an amp

FV-Emperor

Yeah, its portable, makes your guitar sound great and its a steal at 100.

Its a beginner amp but It will always be useful, it runs on batteries and when you see it you'll be shocked at how small it is and even more shocked when you hear the great sound that comes out of it!!

skaterboy

Well i have a pearl 50w amp would that do?bit old 2nd hand tough:o

FV-Emperor

Blues pearl amp? anyway at 50w its likely to be good for sound volume anyway, check the dials like gain, treble and such, if it has a good variety of them it should be good (amps don't advance much).

I didnt know you had an amp, though if you don't have the gear the amp is still worth buying. Because usually their only interested when you're spending a good bit of money, So when its being bought, you could possibly get away with 100 euros worth of gear you'd buy anyway ( thats what I'm getting in strap, lead, stand, picks, gig bag, tuition book) so it's like getting a free amp that still can be plugged into your current amp for enough sound to scare small cats from the house and annoy your neighbours to no end(if thats your thing).

So what does the situation look like now?

Eoin Madsen

skaterboy wrote: »

Where should I buy it?
Not Online BTW
In a shop ?
which is best?

If you can't buy online, a shop would be best. There isn't much point in messing around with second-hand for a starter guitar - you won't save a lot and you could too easily end up with a dud.

The shops are all the same, tbh. If you're getting a Pacifica, the Yamaha shop on Bachelor's Walk on the Quays would probably be the most direct. Take anything any shop assistant tells you with a pinch of salt. If you have an amp already, try that before you go throwing money away. You need:

The guitar
A 3 metre lead (spend 10-15 euros)
A guitar strap (if you want to play standing up)
Tuner (get the cheapest one)
Plectrums/Picks (get a few different ones, they should be less than 50c each)

Anything else they might suggest is not necessary. Play around with it all for a few days, and then go get yourself some lessons! None of the things you get at this stage are going to satisfy you for more than a year or two, so don't agonise too much over the gear. The Pacifica is a good choice to start, and you're not going to know what suits you better until after you start learning.

skaterboy

FV-Emperor wrote: »

So what does the situation look like now?

Well, Im getting it 2morrow, so ill stick with the pacifica, look around all the shops and at the end choose the one with the best deal
+ Ill try and get them to throw in extra stuff like lead, strap and case etc.=]
Thanks for your help=]

Eoin Madsen

Come to think of it, a guitar stand is actually kinda useful too. :pac: Have a good First Guitar Day tomorrow.

skaterboy

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

Come to think of it, a guitar stand is actually kinda useful too. :pac: Have a good First Guitar Day tomorrow.

Thanks!
WOHOO GUITAR DAY!!

FV-Emperor

Yeah good luck!!

CianRyan

Best of luck with the guitar, man.

skaterboy

CianRyan wrote: »

Best of luck with the guitar, man.

Than man=]
Thanks 4 the tips on skateboards aswell=]